National Aviation Day
19th of August
The National Aviation Day is a United States national observation that celebrates the development of aviation. The holiday was established in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who issued a presidential proclamation that designated the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday to be National Aviation Day.
The Dawn Patrol
(Aviation; World/ WWI & England; SEL: Courage in War; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness) [10+]
Leonardo: A Dream of Flight
(Biography; World/Italy & the Renaissance; Science-Technology; Aviation; SEL: Talent; Friendship; Mother/Son; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: General) [8 – 11]
Memphis Belle
(Aviation; U.S./1941 – 1945; SEL: Leadership; Courage in War; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility) [12+]
The Tuskegee Airmen
The Best of TWM
(Aviation; U.S./1941 – 1945, Diversity & Alabama; SEL: Courage; Courage in War; Friendship; Self-esteem; Grieving; Suicide; Surviving; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Responsibility) [10+]
Twelve O’Clock High
The Best of TWM
(Aviation; U.S./1941-1945; SEL: Leadership; Courage in War; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility) [10+]
The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk
Short Subject
From the series “This is America Charlie Brown”
(U.S./1865 – 1913; SEL: Ambition, Brothers; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility) [8 – 11; 24 minutes]
The Wizard of Oz – Movie Release Date
August 25, 1939
When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog, Toto, are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz. They follow the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, and en route they meet a Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) that needs a brain, a Tin Man (Jack Haley) missing a heart, and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) who wants courage. The wizard asks the group to bring him the broom of the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) to earn his help.
The Wizard of Oz
Primary School Version
(Cinema; Drama/Musicals; U.S./1865-1913; SEL: Self-esteem; Friendship; Taking Care of Yourself; Breaking Out; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness, Respect, Caring) [5+]
The Wizard of Oz
Secondary School Version
(Cinema; Drama/Musicals; U.S./1865-1913; SEL: Self-esteem; Friendship; Taking Care of Yourself; Breaking Out; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness, Respect, Caring) [12+]
The Wizard of Oz
Hero’s Journey Lesson Plan
This hero’s journey lesson can be used (1) to confirm and extend students’ prior knowledge of the Monomyth or (2) as a summative assessment.) [12+]
Women’s Equality Day
August 26th
Women’s Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex.
Hidden Figures
(U.S. 1940 – 1991, Diversity, and Virginia; Mathematics; Science-Technology;; Cinema; SEL: Courage; Human Rights; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect) [13+]
Iron Jawed Angels
The Best of TWM
(U.S. 1913 – 1929; SEL: Human Rights; Courage; Leadership; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Fairness) [11+]
Historical Birthdays
William Kamkwamba
August 5, 1987
William Kamkwamba is a Malawian inventor and author. He gained fame in his country in 2001 when he built a wind turbine to power multiple electrical appliances in his family’s house in Wimbe, 32 km east of Kasungu, using blue gum trees, bicycle parts, and materials collected in a local scrapyard.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
Science (Biology & Physics); World (Africa & Malawi); Biography (William Kamkwamba); ELA; SEL: Male Role Model; Education; Father/Son; Families in Crisis; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Caring; [10+]
Thomas Edward Lawrence
August 16, 1888
Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence CB DSO was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer, who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.
Lawrence of Arabia
(Biography; World/England, Middle East & WW I; SEL: Courage in War; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Trustworthiness) [12+ ]
Napoleon Bonaparte
August 15, 1769
Napoléon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the de facto leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804.
Conquest
(Biography/Napoleon Bonaparte; World/France, Poland & The 1800s; SEL: Romantic Relationships; Ethical Emphasis: Respect; Responsibility) [12+]